The first day of school can be intimidating for all students, but especially for your ELL surrounded by English speakers in a brand new school. Your ELL may also be dealing with the difficulties of adjusting to a new town or country, a new culture, and a new language, etc. There are several initial strategies for helping your new ELL student feel welcomed and an important part of her new school, beginning from the very first day.
One of the first things you can do is Learn your ELL's name. While seemingly simple, this is important because of how closely a child's identity is tied to their name. Taking the time to learn the correct pronunciation shows that you care. It would also be helpful to model the student's name for the rest of the class so they will also be able to say it correctly. Extra tip: Never change a student's name to one that is easier for you to pronounce. If a student asks to be called by a different name, you can respect their request.
Pairing the student with a buddy, or a peer partner, can give additional support and help your ELL feel even more a part of the class. It is ideal if the partner can speak both English and the student's native language. For more about this, see How to Develop Relationships with Peers.
Another thing you can do before the new student even arrives is Label the classroom objects in both languages. This will give your ELL something they can recognize and be familiar with from the beginning, making them feel a little more at ease. This also serves the practical purpose of helping your ELL understand their surroundings. Examples: "door/puerta," "pen/قلم, " “computer/कंप्यूटर"
In whatever other ways possible, Providing native language support is very important, especially for beginner ELLs. If you do not speak your student’s language, it can be very helpful to have an on-site interpreter in your school. If this is not readily available in your school, reaching out to your community to find a willing volunteer is a good option. Another great way to provide support in your ELL's native language is through materials in the classroom. Does your school library or your classroom have books, dictionaries, encyclopedias in their language? Visit our Learning about each other page for a link to some great bilingual books. Extra tips: Translation websites can sometimes offer immediate support, but are not always reliable. It would usually not be appropriate to depend on another child to translate.
As your ELL may be experiencing high levels of anxiety from being at a new school, it is also important to Include your ELL in a non-threatening manner. Depending on the level of language, your ELL may be afraid of making mistakes in front of their peers. Activities that include smaller groups or cooperative learning may encourage an ELL to speak, whereas they would not in the whole group classroom.
Throughout the year, your ELL may exhibit many different behaviors from moody or angry to excited to apathetic, and the list goes on. To understand a little more about what your ELL may be going through, it is helpful to understand a little bit about the process of adjusting to a new culture.
Stages of Cultural Accommodation In the same way that ELLs go through stages of English language learning, they may also pass through stages of cultural accommodation. These stages, however, may be less defined and more difficult to notice. Being aware of these stages may help you to better understand "unusual" actions and reactions that may just be part of adjusting to a new culture.
Euphoria: ELLs may experience an initial period of excitement about their new surroundings.
Culture shock: ELLs may then experience anger, hostility, frustration, homesickness, or resentment towards the new culture.
Acceptance: ELLs may gradually accept their different surroundings.
Assimilation/adaptation: ELLs may embrace and adapt to their surroundings and their "new" culture.
During these stages of adjusting, your ELL may go through what is referred to as the “Silent Period.” According to Krashen’s theory, most ELLs will go through this period of silence as they are attempting to comprehend and digest what they hear. Krashen compares the ELL’s development to that of a baby learning to speak: although during this period they may understand the language, they may hesitate to speak because they are not yet comfortable speaking or because it is difficult to express their thoughts orally. Your ELL should not be forced to speak before she is ready. They need time to listen to others talk, digest what they hear, and observe their fellow classmates' interactions with each other.
Another factor in increasing your understanding of what your ELL may be going through is getting to know their native culture and language. Educating yourself on your student’s culture may help to answer many questions that seem to get lost between cultures. Issues affected by a child’s attitude about school, the role of a teacher and student, gender roles, etc. all stem from their culture. Making an effort to get to know some of these attributes, and learning even a few simple words in their native language can go a long way in showing that you care. A great book that gives an overview on many different cultures by country is “Understanding Your International Students: An Educational, Cultural, and Linguistic Guide.” An excellent that has extensive information about cultures of the world Is called "Every Culture.com" and the link can be found in the getting to know each other section.
The first day of school can be intimidating for all students, but especially for your ELL surrounded by English speakers in a brand new school. Your ELL may also be dealing with the difficulties of adjusting to a new town or country, a new culture, and a new language, etc. There are several initial strategies for helping your new ELL student feel welcomed and an important part of her new school, beginning from the very first day.
One of the first things you can do is Learn your ELL's name. While seemingly simple, this is important because of how closely a child's identity is tied to their name. Taking the time to learn the correct pronunciation shows that you care. It would also be helpful to model the student's name for the rest of the class so they will also be able to say it correctly.
Extra tip: Never change a student's name to one that is easier for you to pronounce. If a student asks to be called by a different name, you can respect their request.
Pairing the student with a buddy, or a peer partner, can give additional support and help your ELL feel even more a part of the class. It is ideal if the partner can speak both English and the student's native language. For more about this, see How to Develop Relationships with Peers.
Another thing you can do before the new student even arrives is Label the classroom objects in both languages. This will give your ELL something they can recognize and be familiar with from the beginning, making them feel a little more at ease. This also serves the practical purpose of helping your ELL understand their surroundings.
Examples: "door/puerta," "pen/ قلم, " “computer/कंप्यूटर"
In whatever other ways possible, Providing native language support is very important, especially for beginner ELLs. If you do not speak your student’s language, it can be very helpful to have an on-site interpreter in your school. If this is not readily available in your school, reaching out to your community to find a willing volunteer is a good option. Another great way to provide support in your ELL's native language is through materials in the classroom. Does your school library or your classroom have books, dictionaries, encyclopedias in their language? Visit our Learning about each other page for a link to some great bilingual books.
Extra tips: Translation websites can sometimes offer immediate support, but are not always reliable. It would usually not be appropriate to depend on another child to translate.
As your ELL may be experiencing high levels of anxiety from being at a new school, it is also important to Include your ELL in a non-threatening manner. Depending on the level of language, your ELL may be afraid of making mistakes in front of their peers. Activities that include smaller groups or cooperative learning may encourage an ELL to speak, whereas they would not in the whole group classroom.
Throughout the year, your ELL may exhibit many different behaviors from moody or angry to excited to apathetic, and the list goes on. To understand a little more about what your ELL may be going through, it is helpful to understand a little bit about the process of adjusting to a new culture.
Stages of Cultural Accommodation
In the same way that ELLs go through stages of English language learning, they may also pass through stages of cultural accommodation. These stages, however, may be less defined and more difficult to notice. Being aware of these stages may help you to better understand "unusual" actions and reactions that may just be part of adjusting to a new culture.
During these stages of adjusting, your ELL may go through what is referred to as the “Silent Period.” According to Krashen’s theory, most ELLs will go through this period of silence as they are attempting to comprehend and digest what they hear. Krashen compares the ELL’s development to that of a baby learning to speak: although during this period they may understand the language, they may hesitate to speak because they are not yet comfortable speaking or because it is difficult to express their thoughts orally. Your ELL should not be forced to speak before she is ready. They need time to listen to others talk, digest what they hear, and observe their fellow classmates' interactions with each other.
Another factor in increasing your understanding of what your ELL may be going through is getting to know their native culture and language. Educating yourself on your student’s culture may help to answer many questions that seem to get lost between cultures. Issues affected by a child’s attitude about school, the role of a teacher and student, gender roles, etc. all stem from their culture. Making an effort to get to know some of these attributes, and learning even a few simple words in their native language can go a long way in showing that you care. A great book that gives an overview on many different cultures by country is “Understanding Your International Students: An Educational, Cultural, and Linguistic Guide.” An excellent that has extensive information about cultures of the world Is called "Every Culture.com" and the link can be found in the getting to know each other section.
Additional help:
Welcoming ELLs Video
Sources:
http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/
http://thecrossculturalconnector.com/?tag=the-cultural-iceberg
Cary, S. (2007). Working with english language learners: answers to teachers' top ten questions. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.